The Trials
by Flammifera
Summary: Before you can become a volunteer, you have to earn your spot. It's hard work. It's dreadful, but sometimes fun as well. The Academy of District 2 chooses only the best of the best - and they will compete against each other, before they are allowed to say the words they have dreamed of: "I volunteer!" (OPEN SYOT)


**Janus Porta – Academy supervisor of District 2**

* * *

This time of the year, the one where the current volunteers are selected but have not yet volunteered, is the time of many letters and I have grown a habit to open and order them for their pruposes first thing every morning, once again after lunch, and a last time before closing time, because by this hours several new usually have arrived.

Of greatest importance are those concerning the upcoming Hunger Games, round eightyseven and District 2 could really use a victor again. Vulcan Arderes and Hestia Calescere are promising candidates, yet not strikingly better than those who came before them, and in the last five years, all have failed. Not only did that result in endless nights shifting between sorrow and fury, but in the constant scratching in the back of head, as these claws of doom have been scraping away from my reputation.

Because it's only rewarding for a fraction of time to blame the dead for their failures, people have more fun making someone who is alive responsible, and as the head of _The Academy_, the one who coordinates their training the year before the Games, the one with the last say in who to select, this blame falls on me. I know the gossip on the streets and their calls to replace me with someone more capable. Nonsense – as if it were me dying in the arena.

Still, there have been changes in our ancient training plans and the upcoming group will be the first to experience those. This is the group that will make or break my career, because if they fail as well, I know the first letter I pick up today in a year will be one for my dismissal.

With that in mind I basically attack the two boxes of letters that were delivered to my office - punctually at five in the morning, in a paper box which now stand on my left and is filled to the top with small and big envelopes. I go for those concerning the next recruitment cycle first.

There are application style letters from some trainees who want in, reccomandation letters from coaches, reports from my recruitment assistants and then the occasional bribe money from parents, who have too much of what is rare for most other citizens.

I start with the latter, and throw away those which also include threats, because we can't use the powerful breathing down our necks. _The Academy_ is a neutral space, not favouring the rich over the poor, only looking for talent and honest work. That said – we do need money, and that's why I take a closer look at the amounts promised, and note down some names. If the kids look at all useable, I might decide to take their parents' generous gift and let them in, even though experience shows that they usually don't make it.

_Dear Mr. Porta, _

_I am writing to you in regard to my son, who is a trainee at East Academy and has shown exceptional improvement in the last year. Gaius is seventeen years old and skilled with the sword, as well as the axe and his biggest goal is to reach mastery with those, to then go on and be a victor of the 88th Annual Hunger Games, for which he will be eighteen. _

_Since this is his last opportunity, it is of greatest importance to me that he can get into your elite programme, which is why I am willing to offer any amount of money which I am at all able to pay you. One thousand pans for entrance, and a stipulated sum for each month, which I'd be glad to discuss over a bottle of wine in your restaurant of preference._

_In hopes that you tell your recruiters to strongly consider my Gaius on their visits, and expecting an answer soon._

_Sincerely, _

_Clarissa Stronghold_

I fold out the paper completely, the clean white of it making the biggest contrast possible to the black of my desk, pleased to find the entrance payment the woman promised already inside. It proves she's one who is actually capable of paying what she says she can – a huge problem we had in the last couple of years with bribery. The poor, of which there are more than enough, have caught wind of this method and cheated their way in here, only to then reveal they couldn't even afford a fraction of what they promised us. Poor research from our side done, but still a calamity, since we have no way of claiming anything. On paper, we are solely financed by community funds, period.

I smile to myself, as this is a good way to start the morning, and take a sip of coffee, which is now cool enough to not burn my tongue. I had it happen way too often that my tastebuds were useless for the day, a pity considering the number of lunch dates which are usually on my schedule. Today I will meet Hector, an old friend and head coach of the West Academy, to discuss in person some of his trainees and their potentials. There is only so much one can see in a few hour recruitment visits.

District 2 has five big fighting Academies, South, East, North, West and Central and only a fraction of their students actually make it here, into _The Academy_. The only place where you can become the selected volunteer, as we specifically take in the best of the best every year and give them a more personalised training, prepare them for the Hunger Games. Of course, everyone who trains wants to be recruited to be even allowed in here, and naturally some parents – and kids as well - are willing to go to any length.

Despite that, I can't understand why they already try with their young ones. I hold in my hands a heavy, perfumed letter written by the mother of a fourteen-year-old, of whom it is known that we usually only take special talents. The largest bunch of our recruits is older, sixteen or seventeen, simply because body and mind develop at such a rapid speed in this agegroup and puberty is always a high risk to take. I shake my head and put the letter away. No amount of money will make me take this one.

Sadly, there isn't much more on the money-front right now, then again, the most interesting trainees usually come from the pool of those who want to rightfully earn their spot here.

When I think about Hestia, for example, she was one to apply here with a personal letter, as she wanted to make sure she wasn't overlooked by my recruitment assistants. Everything in her words screamed humble and she truly was, a trait that she still has, even though our psychologists did their best to make her realise it could also be her downfall. I do hope she has learned her lessons – in just two days she is going to volunteer and the girl who still marveled at this place until her last training this morning will be out of my watch.

I hope for us both that she comes back, which would in turn mean her partner Vulcan won't make it. Sometimes I wonder why I even chose this job, since there isn't ever a fully satisfactionary outcome. You'll always loose at least one of them and most years, you'll loose both.

* * *

**Welcome everyone! **

**I'm glad you made it this far and hopefully, this short prologue could make you interested in submitting to this rather non-traditional SYOT. TheEngineeringGames had us write down our goals for the new year in the encouragement topic of the SYOT-Alliance Forum (go check it out if you haven't yet!) and one of mine was to just go for a side project. I had several to choose from and this is what I decided on, because why not do it right now? There is no reason to wait, so here are some crucial information: **

**1\. I'm looking** **for** **aspiring trainees, about to be freshly recruited by The Academy, who will train and compete to become the selected volunteer for the 88****th**** Hunger Games. The story will follow their year leading up to the Games, from recruitment to selection, and then the Games themselves. **

**2\. This is not first come, first serve, as I'm unsure how much attention this will get, and I also don't know about the number of submissions I'll accept. Right now I'm thinking around 12 POV characters, six boys and six girl, but that might change, as I said, depending on the amount of submissions I get. I also might consider the option to have non-POV characters, of course with the allowance of their submitters, should there be a lot of interest in this. **

**3\. I only take subissions via PM, and they will be open for about a month, so you have plenty of time. I'll announce a set date probably with the posting of the second prologue, which will be in two weeks. You can find the form on my profile. **

**4\. As I want this to be a side project, I think it's only fair to inform you that updates might come inconsistently and definetly not as frequent as with my traditional SYOT, which is my main story right now. I'm aiming for every two weeks, but we shall see. **

**That will be all for now – I hope you consider submitting and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me! **

**Also, please tell me in a review how you like this idea and what you think of Janus, who will be a key person for all of the recruited trainees. **

**Impatiently waiting for your PMs, **

**Flammi :) **


End file.
